How many Euro pallets fit in a trailer?

Loaded with the 80 cm side facing sideways, Euro pallets go three across the floor of a 13.6 m curtainside trailer, which comes to 33; turned round and packed with no gaps at all, 34 fit on paper. 33 is the figure the industry normally quotes. If the loaded height is under half the trailer's internal height, pallets can be double-stacked and that number doubles.

Why does fill rate never reach 100%?

Volume fill divides the total volume of your boxes by the volume of the vehicle; it takes no account of the gaps between boxes or the space left at the roof. In a real load, boxes of different sizes never nest perfectly, so 80–90% is already a very good result.

Is my load limited by volume or by weight?

Whichever fills up first. Light, bulky freight — packaging, furniture, textiles — fills the vehicle by volume long before the weight limit. Dense freight such as drinks, metal or paper hits the payload while the vehicle still looks empty. The planner shows both ratios side by side so you can see which one is binding.

Where do I find a vehicle's internal dimensions?

The planner ships with standard vehicle types (cargo van, light truck, rigid trucks, curtainside, mega and refrigerated trailers) plus internal dimensions for common brands and models, and you can enter a custom size for anything not listed. Always confirm the exact figures against the vehicle's registration document or the manufacturer's spec sheet.

How do I mark boxes that cannot be stacked on?

Every row in the box list has a “stackable” checkbox. Clear it and the planner will not place anything on top of that box — use it for fragile goods, open crates and packaging that carries no load.

Why does the order matter in a multi-customer load?

You load in the reverse of your delivery order: the first drop goes nearest the doors and the last drop goes deepest. Turn on customer mode and the planner places boxes in that sequence and gives each customer its own colour.

3D Load Planner

Enter your box and pallet list, pick a vehicle type — we'll calculate the layout and show fill rate in 3D.

Free
No sign-up
Runs in your browser

Load plan · Curtainside Trailer

01 · Vehicle Type

02 · Cargo List

Multiple customers / delivery stops

DescriptionLWHKgQtyStackable

Is your item list in Excel or a CSV? Drop the file here, or .

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Loading 3D scene…

Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom. Move a box by dragging it, with the buttons below, or with the keyboard.

Loading order

Step	Item	Qty	From front	From left	Layers	Top
1	Cardboard Box	36	0–60	0–240	6	240
2	Equipment Crate	4	60–140	0–240	1	50
3	Euro Pallet (loaded)	20	140–980	0–240	1	150

Distances in centimetres, from the vehicle's front wall (opposite the doors) and its left wall. Boxes you move in the view show here in their new place.

Position of every box (60 boxes)

Did this tool do the job?

How It Works

Enter your cargo list

Add box or pallet dimensions, weight, and quantity to the table.

Pick a vehicle type

Choose from panel van, truck, curtainside trailer, or mega trailer.

Review the layout

See fill rate by volume and weight, and any items that don't fit, in 3D.

Routing + load optimization, together

We're working on planning routes and loads together. It will be announced here when it's ready.

Vehicle Interior Dimensions: Light Truck, Truck, Curtainside Trailer, and Mega Trailer

Choosing the right vehicle type directly affects both shipping cost and loading efficiency. Hauling empty space in an oversized vehicle drives up cost, while an undersized vehicle forces you to split the load across extra trips. Vehicle selection should weigh both interior volume (length × width × height) and maximum payload capacity together.

A light truck suits urban and short-distance deliveries; its interior measures roughly 270×160×160 cm with a maximum payload around 1,000 kg. It's ideal for smaller-volume loads with many delivery stops. A 10-wheel truck offers much more volume and payload — roughly 700×240×240 cm inside and 5,000 kg capacity, suited to mid-sized loads and regional distribution.

Long-haul and high-volume loads call for a standard curtainside trailer: the standard European trailer measures about 1360×245×270 cm inside, with maximum payload up to 24,000 kg. A mega trailer shares the same footprint but with a taller interior (roughly 300 cm) — giving more volume capacity for bulky-but-relatively-light loads like appliances or furniture, though its maximum payload runs slightly lower than a standard curtainside (around 22,000 kg).

A vehicle's "fill rate" isn't just about volume — it covers the weight limit too. Light but bulky loads usually hit the volume limit first, while heavy, compact loads hit the tonnage limit first. That's why load planning needs to track both metrics together — the planner above shows both fill percentages separately and makes clear which one hits its limit first.

The load planner automatically arranges the box and pallet list you enter against your chosen vehicle type, showing fill rate by volume and by weight, and any items that don't fit — all in 3D. Comparing different vehicle types lets you see the most efficient option for your load.

How fill rate is calculated

vehicle volume (m³) = (internal length × width × height) ÷ 1,000,000load volume (m³) = Σ (box length × width × height × quantity) ÷ 1,000,000volume fill = load volume ÷ vehicle volumeweight fill = total load weight ÷ vehicle payload

Dimensions go in as centimetres and volume is converted to cubic metres. Volume fill is a raw ratio: it does not count the gaps left between boxes, so reaching 100% is not possible in practice. Whether the boxes genuinely fit is what the 3D view above shows — a load can read 90% and still leave boxes out of the plan.

Worked example: 30 loaded Euro pallets in a curtainside trailer

Say you are loading 30 filled Euro pallets, each 120×80×150 cm and weighing 280 kg, into a 13.6 m curtainside trailer.

Vehicle volume: 1360 × 245 × 270 = 89,964,000 cm³, about 90 m³.
One pallet: 120 × 80 × 150 = 1,440,000 cm³, or 1.44 m³.
Load volume: 1.44 × 30 = 43.2 m³.
Volume fill: 43.2 ÷ 90 = roughly 48%.
Weight fill: 280 × 30 = 8,400 kg, 35% of the trailer's 24,000 kg payload.

Result: the trailer is under half full by volume and comfortable on weight. What limits this load is pallet height — 150 cm pallets cannot be double-stacked in a 270 cm trailer, so a slice of the volume stays empty at the roof.

What the algorithm optimises, and what it does not guarantee

A load plan is a starting point for a real load, not the last word. It does not replace the judgement of whoever loads the vehicle. Here is exactly what the planner does and what it leaves to you.

What it does

Places each box in list order, into the deepest, then lowest, then leftmost free spot.
Tries both horizontal orientations for every box and takes the one that fits.
If something doesn't fit, tries again with boxes turned (a 120×100 pallet across the trailer, say, or Euro pallets in two differently oriented lanes in a container) and keeps whichever plan places more.
Keeps your customer order: the first customer on the list loads deepest, the last nearest the doors.
Never puts anything on top of a box you have unticked as stackable.
Never exceeds the vehicle payload; once the budget runs out the remaining boxes go to the overflow list.
Produces the same layout every time for the same input.

What it does not guarantee

It is not the mathematically best packing. It gives a fast, repeatable plan a person can actually follow; a tighter arrangement may always exist.
It does not calculate weight distribution or axle loads. Where the heavy boxes sit matters for load safety, and that check is yours.
It does not know how much load your boxes can bear: marking a box stackable does not tell it how many layers it can hold.
It ignores site constraints such as strapping, securing equipment, door apertures and pallet clearance.
It never turns boxes on end; rotation is horizontal only.

Frequently asked questions

How many Euro pallets fit in a trailer?: Loaded with the 80 cm side facing sideways, Euro pallets go three across the floor of a 13.6 m curtainside trailer, which comes to 33; turned round and packed with no gaps at all, 34 fit on paper. 33 is the figure the industry normally quotes. If the loaded height is under half the trailer's internal height, pallets can be double-stacked and that number doubles.
Why does fill rate never reach 100%?: Volume fill divides the total volume of your boxes by the volume of the vehicle; it takes no account of the gaps between boxes or the space left at the roof. In a real load, boxes of different sizes never nest perfectly, so 80–90% is already a very good result.
Is my load limited by volume or by weight?: Whichever fills up first. Light, bulky freight — packaging, furniture, textiles — fills the vehicle by volume long before the weight limit. Dense freight such as drinks, metal or paper hits the payload while the vehicle still looks empty. The planner shows both ratios side by side so you can see which one is binding.
Where do I find a vehicle's internal dimensions?: The planner ships with standard vehicle types (cargo van, light truck, rigid trucks, curtainside, mega and refrigerated trailers) plus internal dimensions for common brands and models, and you can enter a custom size for anything not listed. Always confirm the exact figures against the vehicle's registration document or the manufacturer's spec sheet.
How do I mark boxes that cannot be stacked on?: Every row in the box list has a “stackable” checkbox. Clear it and the planner will not place anything on top of that box — use it for fragile goods, open crates and packaging that carries no load.
Why does the order matter in a multi-customer load?: You load in the reverse of your delivery order: the first drop goes nearest the doors and the last drop goes deepest. Turn on customer mode and the planner places boxes in that sequence and gives each customer its own colour.